Modell's Sporting Goods Stores Completes Energy Efficiency Project

All 132 Modell’s Sporting Goods stores now have an energy efficiency monitoring program which helps them control resource use.

Lime Energy’s (OTCBB: LMEC) Maximum eMAC (equipment monitor and control) technology works to control heating, ventilation and air conditioning.

578 eMAC units have been installed resulting in an energy reduction of 7.4 million kilowatt hours per year, or an estimated 17% energy savings. Total dollars saved from the project is expected to exceed $840,000 a year based on “energy cost avoidance” at an average price of electricity in the region of 12 cents per kilowatt hour.

The project began as a pilot at a Philadelphia area store. Following significant electrical savings, Modell’s extended the trial to another 10 locations which also produced favorable results. The company then expanded its installation program to include 27 stores and 112 eMAC units as part of a project involving utility incentive funding from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA. Last year the companies announced a full chain wide roll out of the technology.

“We’ve found the eMAC technology to be very helpful to us in our operations by reducing our electrical consumption, maintaining a very comfortable shopping environment, and helping us diagnose repairs while controlling those costs because of the sophistication of the equipment and the monitoring done by the MPG group,” stated Dave Fletcher, Executive Vice President for Modell’s. “The savings were so good we were able to internally justify the rate of return we need to make a mass purchase and thus, we approved installation of the system in all of our existing outlets as well as in all new construction.”

The eMAC (equipment monitor and control) technology has been proven in a wide variety of industry applications from banks to electronics retailers to pet store chains. It enables companies to benefit from both energy savings and, if available, utility energy efficiency incentives by using the customer’s existing heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems. The eMAC technology itself attaches to a company’s HVAC unit and uses wireless control capabilities to access control software developed and operated by MPG.